L'Cie or Exorcists?
by Keys Studio
Summary: SPOILERS! Chapter 13 of game and up to Kuro. When the l'Cie gang step through a portal to Assiah, will they be able to return? And what's going on with Hope's magic? Not to mention that they all, except Hope, turned back to fifteen years old! Learning to become Exorcists at True Cross Academy, will they ever return home? Warnings inside.
1. Chapter 1

A little something something that had popped up into my head yesterday and I started to type it up. Half of it was done yesterday, half of it was done today. XD Fail~

Warnings: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BOTH! Suggestion would be to play up until a tad past the beginning of Chapter 13 (The Cradle Will Fall), and watch up until Kuro comes up. :D Hope x Lightning, Mephisto x Amaimon, Rin x Yukio, Fang x Vanille, yaoi, yuri, language, a tad graphic here and there, a Wikipedia dependant author, and anything else that may come up. XD

Disclaimer: I do not and will probably never own Ao no Exorcist or Final Fantasy XIII (no matter how much I wish I did).

Enjoy the story~

[xXx]

They had absolutely no idea how they got there. None what-so-ever. They had been coming to put a stop to all of the madness created by the all too stubborn fal'Cie Barthandelus and complete what they had set out to do: Protect Cocoon and her people, just like Serah had wanted. Instead of actually meeting the Cocoon fal'Cie, they instead met the Calvary soldiers, now turned into l'Cie without a Focus to complete, sacrificial cei'th, and the cradle of the fal'Cie that supposedly dreamed of death, Orphan.

The fal'Cie Eden had left them four portals soon after they had put the cei'th out of their misery, all of which but one they knew went. One to Eden, the capital of Cocoon, one to Gran Pulse, one to the Narthex, and one to an unknown realm. The said realm was warped, filled with a long hallway with colored windows, designed in a religious way. People would appear from time to time, dressed in a uniform-like fashion, passing the portal like it wasn't even there, like they couldn't see it.

Fang, being the brave Commando she was, was observing the people on the other side with dark filled eyes, curious. She wondered what the realm was to begin with. Was it a different universe? A different time, perhaps? Or was it someplace on Cocoon they never explored that fal'Cie Eden wanted them to venture? Maybe it was just a place that they would become stuck in if they passed through it, unable to fulfill their Focus and become hideous cei'th.

No, she wouldn't think about that last possibility.

Vanille knew her Oerban sister was curious about this portal. She was also curious about it. Was it a realm where Cocoon and Pulse didn't exist yet? Was it a realm where everyone lived in peace? No, probably not the latter. She saw some of the people walking in the hallways with weapons on their bodies… Maybe it was a war-filled realm, filled with battle after battle, bloodshed more common than the rain fall.

"Fang," Vanille chided, "maybe we should go through it and explore. You never know, maybe a way to remove our brands is there."

It seemed that everyone liked the possibility of that idea.

"I don't think we should go through the portal," Fang sighed. "I don't like the way it looks…"

"But Fang-!"

"How about we take a vote on it, then?"

The pink haired girl smiled and nodded in agreement. She turned to the rest of her l'Cie companions. "What do you say guys? Do you want to explore the other side of this portal?"

Snow was the first, as always, to answer. "Heck yeah!" he said, throwing a fist into the air. "Maybe we can find an alternative way to save Cocoon just in case Lady Luck isn't on our side, right?"

Lightning nodded her head in agreement. "It's always good to have a backup plan should the first one fail miserably."

"I'm in it if Lightning is in it," Hope said sheepishly.

Sazh groaned. "Gah, I'm getting too old for this. Sure, why not?"

Even the little chocobo chick chirped happily in agreement.

"Alright then," Fang said, plastering on a grin. "Let's go, shall we?"

One by one, they filed into the portal, their bodies materializing on the other side. Once they were there, they nearly gasped in horror at themselves.

Everyone, with the exception of Hope, seemed to look and feel younger, some of them, like Snow, having extremely baggy clothes now.

Lightning shrank from twenty-one to fifteen, as did Fang from the same age, as did Vanille from nineteen, as did Sazh from forty, and Snow from the same age as Fang and Lightning.

The ex-soldier was slightly shorter, evening out, if not smaller, than Hope, her light pink hair darkening only a little bit. The Oerban warrior had shorter hair, now straightened, and only a tad bit taller than the two. Vanille stayed the same height, now the tallest of them all, but her body build was slightly skinnier and bonier, her pinkish-red hair now longer, to her waist. The lover of chocobos had a bigger afro than when he was older, no facial hair, and a softer look about him. Snow's hair was slicked back and a lighter shade of blond than before, his body only starting to form muscles.

"What the bloody hell happened to us?" Fang asked, her voice a lot softer than her adult version. Her eyes widened. "And where did the portal go!?"

Sazh groaned, his voice cracking as if he was just now hitting puberty. AGAIN. "I knew this was a bad idea!" he cried. "Now we're lost with no way to fulfill our Focus and soon enough we'll become cei'th! I knew I should have voted no on going through!"

"I don't think that will be happening," Snow said, his voice already matured. "Look." He held out his forearm, exposing his markless arm. "I don't have a brand anymore."

Everyone checked the locations of their Pulse l'Cie brands. Everyone's had vanished. Everyone's except Hope's. They all frowned at the poor boy.

"Hope, why do you still have your brand if we don't?" Vanille questioned. "Sure, it looks like Fang's before she got younger, but still!"

"It might be because I got my brand at fourteen. I still am fourteen you know," Hope shrugged. "My brand is frozen now though. It must mean time in our realm is frozen now…"

"That isn't a bad theory, kiddo," Snow smiled.

"Hey, who are you?" a voice questioned.

They all turned to see a boy with a trench coat and glasses giving them a questioning look.

Though a bit hesitant, the group introduced themselves.

"Oerba Yun Fang."

"Oerba Dia Vanille."

"Snow Villiers."

"…Claire Farron."

"Sazh Katzroy."

"Hope Estheim."

The teenager, from what Fang could tell anyways, bowed in respect. "I am Okumura Yukio." He stood straight and straightened his glasses. "Now, how exactly did you get here? Where are you from?"

Hope decided to be the one to answer. "Claire, Snow, Sazh, and I are from Cocoon. Vanille and Fang are from Gran Pulse. We got here through a portal from Orphan's Cradle summoned by the fal'Cie Eden." He suddenly paled. "GAH! Why did I just tell you all that?! Everyone, get ready!"

He pulled out his boomerang Airwing, ready for a fight. Fang had her Bladed Lance at the ready, Vanille her Pearlwing Staff, Sazh his dual pistols Vega 42s, Lightning her Gladius, and Snow his Wild Bear.

The teenager was surprised to say the least. Of course, his own pistols were out as he readied himself also for the fight.

"Turtoise!" Hope called. Everyone in the group held their weapons in guard mode as bullets were shot at them. "Relentless assault!" He moved his hand and felt that special tug on his soul as flames of blue, something rather odd, flew from gloved fingertips and at the teenager.

"Hope, we can't use our magic!" Snow cried.

The whitette scowled slightly. "Then Aggression! I'll support the magic!"

Fang ran at Yukio, lance at the ready as she sliced at him, her mind focused on the battle.

"Yukio!" another voice cried out. A sheathed blade found itself being grabbed by Snow who had luckily caught it before it could hit the Commando of the group. "What the hell is going on?!"

Fang launched herself into the air and cried out, "Nobody is getting in my way!" With that, her bladed lance was thrown straight into the ground, grazing the jacket Yukio wore. She quickly grabbed it and jumped back.

"Sensei!" three voices cried in unison. Three more people joined the battle, two forming a position and beginning to recite something as the third pulled out a golden staff.

The battle went on like this for quite a while. It soon went from six against five to six against seven.

And Hope's healing abilities were wearing thin, the boy unable to keep up with all of the wounds that needed to be healed quickly. "I'm going to summon my Eidolin!" he announced to his group.

"There will be no need to summon the mighty Alexander."

Everyone turned to see a man dressed in white 'n' pink, his slanted green eyes twinkling with an all knowing virtue, his gloved hand gently stroking his purple goatee.

"Pheles-sama!" Yukio cried.

"Weapons away," ordered the man. "We are not your enemy. Cocoon and Gran Pulse do not exist here. And thus, neither do l'Cie or fal'Cie." He smiled.

"Alright, clown! Tell us what's going on!" the one wielding the sheathed sword questioned.

"Why that is simple, my dear Rin," the man said happily. "They are not from Assiah or Gehenna, but a third dimension. I refer to this realm as 'Crystial'." He extended his hands beside him. "They live where the fear of a land called Gran Pulse is great, the world above known as Cocoon a vipers nest trembling with fear, kept aloft by he who dreams of death, the fal'Cie Orphan." He bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet she who became Ragnarok and scarred Cocoon's shell over five centuries ago."

"Who are you?" Fang questioned darkly. "And how do you know all this stuff about us if this isn't even our realm?"

The purple haired man smiled more. "That is simple," he said. "I come from the realm of demons, Gehenna. You are currently in the realm of Assiah, the material realm of humans. I am Mephisto Pheles. I know of your realm because I was there during the War of Transgression. What a rather gruesome battle that was, if I do say so myself. I was surprised that Cocoon did not fall already by now."

"Yeah, well," Snow said, pounding his fist into the palm of his hand, "do you know what is currently happening on Gran Pulse and Cocoon?"

"Yes, I do indeed," Mephisto purred deliciously. "Cocoon is a world of panic because Eden is being overrun by Pulsian things and the frightening l'Cie. The new primarch is dead due to the last remaining sliver of humanity left within him. I dare say, you have made quite the hero of fallen l'Cie on Gran Pulse as well. How many more are there left to complete now? Six or seven out of sixty-four? That is quite the feat there…"

"Raines is dead?" Lightning asked.

"Oh?" Mephisto questioned. "Did you not know that, Claire?" He smiled again. "Let us go into my office. All of us." He pulled out a key and unlocked a door nearby, opening it. Everybody walked into it and sat down on the couches. "Let us start with the introductions shall we? Full name, _real_ age, and where you are from for the new comers. The rest, just say your name."

"Oerba Yun Fang. I'm five hundred twenty-one. I am from the clan of Yun in the village Oerba on Gran Pulse," Fang said.

"Oerba Dia Vanille. I am five hundred nineteen. I am from the clan of Dia, also in the village Oerba on Gran Pulse," her Pulsian sister continued.

"Claire 'Lightning' Farron. I'm twenty-one and am from the sea side port of Bodhum on the world Cocoon," the ex-Guardian Corps member added on.

"Snow Villiers. Same as Light," Snow smirked.

"Sazh Katzroy. I'm forty and I'm not going to tell you where I am from because frankly, I don't think it's any of your business. All I will say is I am from Cocoon," Sazh grumbled, not exactly happy about the situation.

"Hope Estheim. I'm fourteen and I am from Palumpolum on Cocoon," Hope said brilliantly.

"Okumura Yukio," the glasses wearing teenager said. "I am a teacher here at True Cross Academy for the Cram School, a school for Exorcists."

"Okumura Rin," the teen beside him said. "I'm Yukio's older brother. Twin."

"Moriyama Shiemi," the blond girl beside him chided in. "I'm an Exwire with Rin-chan!"

"Suguro Ryuji," the brown 'n' blond haired teen next to her added in. "I'm also an Exwire."

"Kamiki Izumo," the purple haired girl grumbled beside him.

"Shima Renzou," the pink haired boy went next. "Izumo-chan and I are also Exwires."

"Miwa Konekomaru," the bald boy swallowed. "Exwire."

Mephisto grinned that demonic grin of his. "Alright, new comers," he purred. "now tell us a little about yourselves. For example, what happened to you in the past or what you have done that may have affected another person's life?"

This time Hope went first, "I lost my mother during the Purge after the fireworks festival in Bodhum. I became a Pulse l'Cie after following Snow to the Pulse Vestige, having to talk to him about what happened to my mother since he was the last person I saw her with, and defeating Anima. I chose to follow Claire when we, by that I mean Sazh, Vanille, Claire, and myself, split up in the Vile Peaks. I don't know where my dad is since the Calvary moved him somewhere safe after we had to leave in Palumpolum. I have become a lot stronger now that I think back to when all this Pulse nonsense began…"

"Clown, what's the Purge? And Pulse?" Rin questioned, a confused look on his face.

"I am glad you asked me that," Mephisto purred. "The Purge was where the people of Bodhum were forced to leave and ride a train to Pulse after the finding of the Pulse Vestige. It failed though due to a rebellion amongst the people who were being purged and the defeat of the fal'Cie Anima." He grabbed the cup of green tea that was sitting on his desk and sipped it before continuing to explain, "The Pulse Vestige was originally from Gran Pulse, the land below Cocoon, hosting the fal'Cie Anima. The six you see here, or rather five if you exclude Fang-chan who had not been there at the time, were the ones who had defeated him. I take it you must also be confused as to what a fal'Cie is, so here it is: A fal'Cie is an almighty being that nourish and indirectly govern humanity and nature itself. Much like God is to us in our realm." He took yet another sip of his drink. "Lastly, Pulse is actually called Gran Pulse. Unlike Cocoon, the wilderness is untamed, free to roam and grow. There, only the strong survive. There are many regions of the land. You have the village Oerba, the Paddra ruins, the Taejin's Tower of the fal'Cie Dahaka who searched for Etro's gate in the sky, the Archyltte Steppe, and several more."

The purple haired demon took yet another sip.

"Alright," Rin said, still confused. "I guess that makes sense… I think…"

Sazh went next, "I'm a father of one, a boy. His name is Dajh. My wife died when he was still young, I joined the Purge to find my son because he had become a Cocoon l'Cie, I became his enemy, a Pulse l'Cie, and I seem to be able to understand how to speak chocobo talk."

His little chocobo chick flew out of his afro and chirped merrily, fluttering around on her little wings happily. She then pecked unhappily at Rin then flew back into her owner's fro, her own little nest of black hair.

Sazh took the chick out of his hair and frowned. "What do you mean he isn't good?" he questioned. "He's just a teenager." He paused. "Hey!" he cried, his eye brows scrunching up. "I doubt that he is as mean as you're saying!"

"Alright, let's let Sazh talk to his pet bird…" Shima said. He looked at Fang. "And you…?"

"Chocobo!" Sazh snapped.

"I was a Pulse l'Cie before the war between Cocoon and Pulse, the War of Transgression," Fang said, completely ignoring the old/young man beside her. "I was the one who became Ragnarok and scarred Cocoon's shell, but the Goddess Etro decided that she would spare the people of the vipers nest and turned Vanille and I to crystal, allowing us to sleep with eternal life for five hundred years. We woke up, I forgot everything, and met up with these people." She grinned. "My new family."

Vanille smiled at the honesty her friend had given and decided it was her turn, "I was with Fang the entire time during our first Focus as Pulse l'Cie. When we woke up, I wanted to just run away, so I lied and said I had also forgotten everything. I stayed with Sazh when we split up, like Hope had said. I found out that we were the ones that had caused the accident that made Dajh a Cocoon l'Cie and was just about to tell Sazh when the army showed up in Nautilus. Every one of my friends here are also my family."

Snow gained a cocky smirk and went next, "I was orphaned as a child. No parents or siblings to talk about. When I got older, I made a group called NORA. No Obligations, Rules, or Authority. Our slogan was 'The army is no match for NORA!' but we changed it to 'The fal'cie are no match for NORA!'. I'm engaged to Claire's younger sister, Serah, but she's currently in crystal stasis right now. Plus, I have to prove that I can protect Serah and make her happy to Claire."

Lightning was the last one to go, "Serah and I lost our parents when we were younger, so I abandoned my name of Claire and changed it to Lightning. I was in the military, Guardian Corps sector. I abandoned that as well in order to find my sister and bring her back. I had to make up for what I did… I didn't believe her when she told me she had become a Pulse l'Cie… So, I quit the military, joined the Purge, fought and won the battle against the fal'Cie Anima, and now, here I am."

Mephisto stood straight and suddenly confetti was launched into the air and a banner came down in a language none of the Japanese people in the room could read, but the people of the realm of Crystial understood it easily. It read 'Welcome to the Academy!'.

"Until you can return to your own realm," the man cackled, "you shall attend classes here at True Cross Academy, both the normal school and the Cram School." He grinned. "I'll tutor all of you in the area of Cram School, but other than that, you will be staying with the Okumura twins in their dormitory."

"W-wait a minute!" Hope cried. "Who said we would be staying here?"

"I did," the purple haired clown grinned. "Now, let's get you dressed into clothes that won't hang off of your body and get all of the information on you all down so you can qualify to be Exwires."

[xXx]

Now redressed (only Vanille wore the girl's uniform, Fang and Lightning chose to wear the male uniform) and looking proper, the six sat in their new dormitory.

"Alright, so our Exorcist types are…" Sazh tilted his head. "Aria, Dragoon, Knight, Tamer, and Doctor." He looked up at his companions. "What do these mean?"

"Aria is basically a monk," Hope explained. "It means they use verses from this thing they call a Bible to vanquish demons."

Vanille's pencil formed a circle around that option.

"Dragoon is a gunman," the whitette continued. "Like you Sazh."

Sazh's and Snow's pencils circled that option.

"Knight is a swordsman. Like Lightning."

Fang's, Lightning's, and Hope's pencil circled the option.

"Tamer is someone who can summon a demon from the realm of Gehenna…"

Hope's and Vanille's pencil circled.

"And Doctor is someone who heals wounds created by demons."

Hope's circled it.

"You can't have more than two circled, kiddo," Snow said in a mimicking voice of Mephisto's.

Hope sighed and erased the Knight option.

"So everyone has their options chosen?" Fang questioned. She received a nod and stood. "I'll take them to the clown. You guys try to figure out what we should do until we can get back home. Fill me in on it when I get back." She took up the papers and left the room.

"I think we should just do what Sir Pheles says," Sazh admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, he _did_ give us a place to stay for a while until we found a way back."

"I agree," Lightning said, "but we should try and look for a portal back home as soon as we can."

Once agreed upon, they laid down, relaxing their aching muscles. When was the last time they managed to actually rest up? A month ago? Well, those battles were certainly taking their toll on them. Every muscle ached something fierce. Even Lightning who had constantly been in battle in the army had never felt so tense and achy.

"Hey Hope, can you heal us up a little so we can try and sleep?" Vanille asked.

"If I do, I think I'll get sick," groaned the boy. "I think I overdid it earlier…"

"Don't stress yourself, kiddo," Snow chided. "A little pain will do us some good. It'll teach us to stop every once in a while and rest up."

Everyone gave a dry laugh.

"Dinner time!"

Nobody felt like moving, but they got up and left their room. They lazily entered the kitchen, plopping down at a table and laying their heads against it.

"What's wrong?" Yukio questioned worriedly.

"We've been fighting for so long we never noticed, but," Hope yawned. "we're exhausted, hungry, and quite frankly, in pain."

"Maybe we could get Shima-san to come over and massage their backs or something," Rin suggested, putting dinner on the table. "It'll probably be a good idea since we only have to do running for a while in our PE classes."

"Text him and ask him about it," Yukio sighed. "Don't force him to if he doesn't want to."

Rin nodded and began to text away.

"Hey, Hope," Vanille blinked, her voice a little in thought. "Earlier, when you were using magic to fight, your fire came out blue. Why is that?"

The whitette shrugged. "I don't know. Let's just focus on eating and getting full."

[xXx]

Yes? No? Maybe? XD Read and review!

~Oerba Kai Blood


	2. Chapter 2

**Woot~ Finally, chapter two~. Sorry for the long wait everyone. Hehe~ I was busy, not to mention, I had no idea as to how I should continue this. Hell, I don't even know how it's gonna end. Wait. Now I do. XD *Writes it down somewhere in my little notes for this story*:3**

**I do not own Final Fantasy XIII or Ao no Exorcist.**

**[xXx]**

Hope was the first one up, his stomach growling like a ferocious beast. He yawned tiredly, sitting up in his bed, his black tank top ruffled and wrinkled from how he had slept, his boxers pulled down just slightly from possible shifting throughout the night, his eyes weary and heavy with sleep, his white hair… well, a chicken's backside, to say the least, what with it being matted up and sticking up everywhere. He looked like he had slept for more than just a day… either that, or he had done the no-pants-dance. He wasn't sure, nor would he ever care to _be_ sure. All he cared about at that moment was getting something to eat and get his day going, which started off with a simple routine that Lightning had made for him: get up in the morning, eat, drink, brush his teeth, shower (or bathe if there is not a shower available), get dressed, stretch, and do some simple exercises to get the blood flowing.

He made his way out of his shared dormitory room and yet another yawn escaped his lips as he trailed his hand along the wall, his other hand pulling up his boxers lazily. He looked about tiredly as he reached the stairs and then descended downwards, the smell of food wafting through the air, attracting him, thus, leading him to his current destination. He could hear two people working in the kitchen, both humming melodic tunes in harmony with one another. He could hear both voices talking, but he couldn't make out either one of their words. He recognized one almost immediately to be Okumura Rin, the older twin of his future teacher, but the other one was unfamiliar to him. It sounded like… wind chimes or the softest chirp of a high pitched note played on a flute.

Entering the kitchen, the young male found a rather strange site before him.

Rin was cooking, of course, but he was bringing things to himself by use of a long, black, fluffy tail that protruded from beneath the bottom hem of his long sleeve shirt. He looked so natural cooking in the kitchen, a smile plastered to his face, his deep blue eyes vibrant with joy as he performed such a task, his hips swaying to invisible music as if they were possessed. His cooking partner seemed to be rather similar, but it was hard to really say that for something so obviously a demon. The little chef that was cooking alongside Rin appeared to be a miniature Minotaur, his fur a Byzantium purple color, his visible skin pale and flawless, his long, pointed ears a bit huge, but rather fitting, his amber eyes narrowed in concentration as he cooked, a small smile on his lips as he, from time to time, wiped his large hands off on the patchwork apron around his small waist.

They both looked so happy and absorbed in their work that Hope smiled just slightly, closing the door silently. He raised his hand and knocked on it, letting them both know that he was there. He heard the clatter as both of the males beyond the door stopped cooking suddenly. There were hushed whisperings then the door opened. Rin looked up in surprise at the young whitette, not sure as to why the l'Cie was up to begin with. But never-the-less, he moved aside, beckoning him in. "I take it that you want a snack before heading back to bed?" he asked, smiling at the idea of cooking a small snack for the other. "I could make you some toast or something."

"I want some breakfast," Hope returned groggily. "I have to get up early and exercise a bit so I can stay awake and out of trouble." He offered a teasing smile to the boggled look on the noirette's face. "I have to. Lightning got me into the habit of doing it while we were at my home in Palumpolum."

"What's it like there?" Rin asked, blinking as he went back into the kitchen area, beginning to cook an omelet and placing some wheat bread in the toaster, pulling the lever down until he heard the satisfactory click of the timer latch. He was making the omelet with even cooking as he continued, "Your home I mean. You called it Palumpolum, right? Is it homely? Especially since… well, you know…"

"My mother is dead and my father is in hiding?" Hope smiled softly. "Well, I guess I wouldn't know. I haven't gone back home since we had to leave it. But before… I really wouldn't know. I considered it home because of my mother, Nora… my father was always too busy for us. Maybe if he had come with us to see the fireworks… maybe my mom would still be alive right now…" He looked so blank yet indulgent as he said it, as if he held no emotion either way.

"At least you still have your dad," smiled Rin, turning the omelet just as the toast popped up from the toaster. He took each piece of the cooked bread and, with practiced swiftness, managed to spread butter across the surfaces. He placed them on a small plate, but he wasn't done. He began to make rice as well, which his looking cooking buddy would poke his head up every now and again to check on it.

"May I ask what that is?" Hope asked, gesturing to the little Minotaur creature that had frozen.

"He's a stove spirit that helps nii-san cook our meals," smiled a tired voice behind them. Beside Hope, a chair pulled out and was sat in, courtesy of the younger twin, Okumura Yukio. He looked messy, as if he had just woken up. "His name is Ukobach."

"Y-Yukio!" cried a startled Rin.

"It's alright. He might as well know," the younger smiled. It then fell. "Wait. That means you have a Spirit Wound." It was aimed at the whitette in the room. It wasn't a question either.

"I have no idea what that is," Hope frowned.

"A wound inflicted on you by a demon," explained Rin, surprisingly knowledgeable for once as he finished up the breakfast that Hope requested. "Having a Spirit Wound allows you to see demons like my friend here." He knuckle bumped with the little Minotaur who was relaxed now.

"Nii-san, just focus on making everyone breakfast," chuckled Yukio. He focused his attention back to the l'Cie, straightening his glasses. "Now, I believe that your wound is this mark here, correct?" He gently grabbed Hope's left wrist, moving the bandana to show the scratched out Pulse brand.

Hope wretched his arm away as Rin brought him his food, holding his wrist to his chest. "D-don't do that, please," he murmured, digging into the food. Once he was done, he bowed his head in respect, standing and rushing back to the counter, handing it to Ukobach who had been eagerly awaiting the dirty dishes. "Thank you very much. It was a delicious meal." With that, Hope left the room, running back upstairs. He went into his shared room and grabbed his uniform for the True Cross Academy. He rushed out of the room before he cared to realize that Lightning was waking up.

He rushed to get himself dressed, his tie a bit disheveled. He brushed out his hair and his teeth. He would have to skip the shower that morning. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, not at all noting the woman in the doorway nearby, watching him with exhausted, curious eyes. After he was finished with those simple things, Hope made his way into an empty room and began to do his stretches. He sat on the floor, his legs in front of him, his feet together, and his back bent forward as he attempted to reach his toes. He was still so close from actually touching them. Just a bit more…

Hope tensed when he felt a hand against his back, pushing him forward to touch his toes with his fingers. "There you go. You're doing a lot better than before, Hope," came a gentle, hoarse voice. When the whitette looked up, he blushed lightly. It was Lightning, already dressed in her uniform. Her hair was a bit messy, but nothing a good brush with the fingers can't fix. Her eyes were gentle as she continued to push the male forward. "Come on, farther. You want to work those muscles good, don't you?" After a good twenty seconds in that position, she released him, the younger (well, now older due to the circumstances) bounced back, his back straight now.

"Spread your legs, reach for your right foot," commanded the pink haired girl. She was satisfied with how far he stretched. "Now, left." Watching him repeat the command with the opposite foot, she couldn't help but begin to stretch with him. She reached so far in front of her, Hope had voiced his concerns about her becoming a folding board.

[xXx]

Soon, everyone was awake and dressed, their stomachs full and on their way to the Cram School. Headmaster Pheles had told them to just go their instead of the normal classes for a while so that he could enroll the group of eight into the school and have them 'transferred in'. Hope was leading the way, a key in his hands, the boy himself grinning. "I can't wait. We can be normal again like before," he mused, looking ahead, noticing the door that Mephisto had told them to go through. He picked up his pace just slightly. "Not that being a l'Cie was a bad thing." He had to defend himself quickly before Fang could send him one of her signature dirty looks. "It's just… well, we don't have to worry about anymore fal'Cie and possibly becoming -."

A certain Bladed Lance was shoved under his chin, stopping just short of his flesh. "Care to finish that sentence, lad?" twitched Fang. "I would rather not like to think about _that_ at all."

"Right, right, sorry," chuckled Hope nervously. He sighed in relief when Fang lowered her weapon. They were almost to the door.

"So all we have to do is take the key and unlock the door, right?" asked Sazh, his hands behind his head as he looked about. He had been silently taking in the area.

"Yep," smiled Vanille in agreement.

"Let's do this," grinned Snow, his hands in his pockets.

[xXx]

**End of chapter two~ Yay! X3 Now, I have to go watch some Ao no Exorcist because I can't remember if Kuro came before or after a certain teacher. I need to know because of the next chapter.**

**OH! Some clarification real fast. When I say 'up to Kuro' I mean **_**just before**_** we actually meet Kuro. X3**

**Read and review~**

**~Oerba Kai Blood**


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